I received a postcard type flier from the Orleans titled "Save The Date". It lists invitational events/tournaments for the year 2009. Only one Blackjack Tournament is listed and that's the Dec. 14-16, 2009 Tournament. In 2008 there were also Blackjack Tournaments in April and July but those months show no BJTs for 2009. Does anyone know if they are cutting back on their Blackjack Tournaments and if December, 2009 will be the only one for the entire year?
Orleans Blackjack Tournament for 2009 As their last 3 Blackjack Tournaments were basically full (at 180), I will be very much surprised if they do not have the same number this year as they did last year - during the same approximate times. I suspect they only listed one event per month on the postcard - I received the same one - and other scheduled events those months took precedent because they are better attended. Chips
Attendance I played a VP tourney at Orleans two weeks ago and the participation was VERY poor. Economy and time of year were factors, I'm sure. I received same postcard you guys did and took it to mean they were cutting back on events. Hope I'm wrong and Chips is right! Billy C
Still on but less I just updated the calander to show the April tournament. It is still on, but they have cut the prize money by $10,000.
Things are tough...and if they are trying to make it an invitational-only....then they have to cut. *sitting here hoping my mail has a postcard*
Sad I'm not saying 15k is chump change but the smaller purses are going to lead to less participation. For those of us that don't live close to Vegas it factors into the decision of going or not going, I believe. Billy C
Agreed on that factor...and being where I am, knowing fewer of you are attending -- and I can get myself invited -- I'd find a way.
Two things to keep in mind: 1) Without sufficient "side action" before the event, getting an invite is just about impossible. You can not buy your way in. 2) Their prize pool is based on 180 players. If player participation is low enough, they will reduce the prize pool accordingly. I've seen it reduced by 25% in the past. I am not aware of all the historical reductions for their BJTs but it may have been reduced to lower prize pool than that at times.
Understand...and that's my challenge being down here in SD and with a limited BR. I have choose where I play and how long...I do try to cash-out and re-buy so that things look juicier than they are. :devil:
I'd have been there in a minute, but they've made it clear that I'm not wanted. And that's OK, I'm not going to beg. While I was in LV for a Nugget event, I ran a fairly serious chunk of action thru the Orleans video poker even though their selection is less than wonderful, then emailed a request to be considered for BJT invites. Got back a reply which was vague and noncommittal, so I tried again with polite but specific questions. Got back more un-specific information - and gave up. It is a shame that they're cutting back the prize funds for their tournaments but folks who want to play and do give them side action can't get in. I'm not going to cry very hard for them. Ain't that the truth! Gotta factor in the cost of airfare, maybe a rental car, maybe two or three unpaid days off work (especially if you're self-employed).
Changing times That is probably all correct but to the Orleans credit, I must say that a couple of years ago they did the opposite. With a short crowd they ponied up something like 5k+ so as to pay out full advertised purse that was NOT guaranteed. At the moment I'm not waving the flag for them, however. Last time there they didn't comp what they should have for the action given them. Quality of VP offered has deteriorated, too. What used to be 9-6 is now 9-5, etc. My local casino has gone from bad to MUCH worse (bj penetration is criminal, vp offered is VERY lousy). I honestly think their attitude is something like this. "With the weak economy and resulting decrease in customers we need to make outlandish profits on the few people that are dumb enough to be here". Such are the times but I refuse to play horseshit games. They cost WAY to much! Billy C
From this information it sounds like you did not give them the amount of side action they are looking to get although you think its sufficient. It's not just the dollar amount alone you gamble that counts but rather the dollar amount combined with the theoretical loss (THEO for short) percentage for the game you played that counts. In order to even out the loss probabilities of the various games, most casinos calculate a THEO for each table game or slot machine. A VP Jacks or Better machine that pays 9/6 most likely has a lower THEO than say a 8/5 machine which in turn has a lower THEO than a 5 cent reel machine. So let's say the casino figures a THEO on the machine you played is 1%. If your "serious chunk of action thru the Orleans video poker" amounted to say $10,000, that's only $100 THEO ($10,000 * .01). If they then say "over a 3 day period", then that's only a THEO of $33 per day. That's hardly enough to get an invite to a tournament that has a SV (Seat Value) of $150 to $200. Now if you you played roulette where the THEO is probably about 5.5%, then your THEO would be about $550 ($10,000 * .055). That may be enough to get an invite. Also keep in mind that there is no "standard" for calculating a THEO on a given game. Each casino has their own method and/or percentages. That further complicates the problem. Casinos do not want to get into the THEO too much with their patrons because most people would not comprehend that very well. This, in part, is why its difficult to get a handle on how much action is needed for an invite. Besides, if the casino gave specific requirements then many would play to that level and stop. The casino wants patrons to exceed the minimum, not just meet it.
Thanks Toolman, but I am highly familiar with theo in casinos and how it works. The old video poker player in me. The problem here is still the "Dont Ask - Won't Tell" situation with play level requirements, and it ain't just Orleans who is doing it. How in the hell am I supposed to know if they won't even give a clue? The necessity for giving side action has been accepted from this end, but there's no way to know when the requirements are met. I'm not about to go around playing a game I don't like for stakes I can't afford (i.e $200/hand BJ) on a "maybe that will be enough" situation. After getting burned hard by Orleans as related in earlier posts, I'm just not interested in hanging my butt out on any more "maybe we'll consider you for our BJT's" action. Fool me once, shame on you - fool me TWICE.........
